Announcement number

CAYQ-10117894-18-CPH

Control number

489293000

Duties

Duties

Summary

OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise - "To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate care to Veterans?

***This is an open continuous announcement open to Current Permanent Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center Employees Only; applicants will be reviewed and referred as vacancies become available. This announcement may close prior to the closing date if all vacancies are filled, or extended as vacancies become available. Applications will remain on file for 3 months. The first cut-off for consideration will be February 6, 2018***

Augusta Georgia is the home of the world renowned 'Masters' golf tournament and is Georgia's second oldest and second largest city. Please visit the official Augusta website to learn more about this ever changing and exciting city: http://www.augustaga.org/

The Augusta Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center is a two-division Medical Center that provides tertiary care in medicine, surgery, neurology, psychiatry, rehabilitation medicine, and spinal cord injury. The Medical Center is affiliated with the Georgia Regents University, Augusta, GA and as such integrates teaching, research, and advanced patient care, making it an attractive academic medical center. This facility offers a full spectrum of comprehensive health care services, using state-of-the-art technology and innovative programs, as well as education and research benefits.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

Medical Support Assistants in these positions serves as administrative support for various areas such as Ward Administration, Specialty Care Clinics, Call Center, Consult Scheduling Unit, etc., and may be assigned to either the Uptown or Downtown Division. Incumbents may be required to work in any one of several inpatient Medical, Surgery, Rehab, Mental Health, Spinal Cord Injury (SCI), or Community Living Center wards. Incumbents provides administrative support for and works collaboratively with other members of the inpatient and/or outpatient health care team such as physicians, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, dieticians, behavioral health staff, etc., to provide a robust interdisciplinary approach to care. Important interfaces and collaborations may also occur with larger health care system providers including VA and non-VA specialists, hospitals, diagnostic and treating facilities, and community based programs.

Major duties include, but are not limited to the following:
· Scheduling, rescheduling, and/or canceling medical appointments; entering no-show information.
· Monitoring the electronic wait list; preparing for clinic visits.
· Verifying and updating patient demographics and insurance information.
· Provides administrative support for and works collaboratively with other members of the inpatient health care team such as physicians, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, dieticians, behavioral health staff.
· Process all hospital admissions, transfers, and discharges in VISTA.
· Make necessary arrangements for emergency and routine transfers to and from other wards.
· Responds to questions from patients, providers, coworkers and others concerning process/services.
· Ensures all data base integrity by monitoring for accuracy and completeness.
· Determines the nature of the patient's medical care needs, questions or complaints and answers questions, provides information, gives guidance, and initiates action as appropriate.
· Accountable for logging into ACD phone system and providing first call resolution according to facility and URAC standards.
· Completes telephone calls, related correspondence, and other work in a timely manner while on phone calls.

**Incumbents must be able to work in different areas and available to work and rotate to any work schedule as needed including weekends and holidays based on agency needs **

United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.

English Language Proficiency: Applicants appointed to direct patient care positions must be proficient in spoken and written English.

Experience and Education:
(1) Experience - six months experience of clerical, office or other work that indicate the ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position.OR
(2) Education - One year above high school. OR
(3) Experience/Education Combination - equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable.

Preferred Experience: Previous Medical Support Assistant, keyboarding, experience using Microsoft Office applications and other databases such as CPRS and VISTA; call center in a medical facility; and medical terminology knowledge.

Grade Determinations:
In addition to meeting the basic requirements and the specialized experience, applicants must be able to demonstrate the (KSAs) knowledge, skills, and abilities at each grade level. If selected for the position KSAs need to be completed on plain paper, with a narrative description of experience, education and training as related to each skill.

GS-4 MSA (Developmental Level)
Experience or Education. One year of experience in clerical or office work that indicates the ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position OR two years of education above high school.

Candidates at the GS-4 level must demonstrate the KSAs below:
1. Ability to meet, communicate and interact with individuals from varying backgrounds and other health care team members in a courteous and helpful manner in order to complete job assignments.
2. Ability to use various types of office automation equipment and software.
3. Ability to set up, organize, and maintain record systems.

GS-5 MSA (Full Performance Level)
Experience or Education. Must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level or four years of education above high school.

Candidates at the GS-5 level must demonstrate the KSAs below:
1. Ability to operate computerized programs and databases in order to enter, modify and retrieve sensitive information/data into or from electronic medical records, scheduling systems and/or reports.
2. Knowledge of basic medical terminology.
3. Ability to make appointments in a clinical setting.
4. Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties, including setting priorities and coordinating work.
5. Ability to communicate effectively and professionally with employees at varying grade level.
6. Ability to identify customer's concerns, perform the tasks required to resolve the issue accurately and timely, and follow-up as necessary to ensure a satisfactory resolution.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Additional information

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

United States Citizenship Required; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, résumé, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Resume Reminder - Your resume MUST INCLUDE the following information for each job listed:
* Job title
* Pay Plan/Series/Grade (if applicable)
* Duties (be as detailed as possible)
* Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008)
* Full-time or part-time status (must include average hours worked per week)
* Complete address for each job location

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

Resume

SF-50

SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) - You must upload a copy of your most current (Non-award) SF-50 to verify your eligibility status.(Required when submitting application). You can obtain a copy from your electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF) https://eopf.nbc.gov/va/.

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please use this checklist to ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's, documentation to support Veterans Preference or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees).

Cover Letter

DD-214

OF-306

Other

VA Disability Rating Letter

Resume

SF-15

SF-50

Transcript

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If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

Benefits

Benefits

A career with the U.S. Government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Learn more about federal benefits.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time, or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How to Apply

How to Apply

All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 07/31/2018 to receive consideration.

To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.

Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.

NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.

To verify your application is complete, log into your USA JOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USA JOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USA JOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

Agency contact information

Devin Knight

Phone

Email

Address

Next steps

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.

You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center.

Fair & Transparent

Fair & Transparent

The Federal hiring process is setup to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

Equal Employment Opportunity Policy

The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.

Reasonable Accommodation Policy

Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

A reasonable accommodation is any change to a job, the work environment, or the way things are usually done that enables an individual with a disability to apply for a job, perform job duties or receive equal access to job benefits.

Under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodations when:

An applicant with a disability needs an accommodation to have an equal opportunity to apply for a job.

An employee with a disability needs an accommodation to perform the essential job duties or to gain access to the workplace.

An employee with a disability needs an accommodation to receive equal access to benefits, such as details, training, and office-sponsored events.

You can request a reasonable accommodation at any time during the application or hiring process or while on the job. Requests are considered on a case-by-case basis.